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White House Cheat Sheet: Steele Tries To Turn the Page

Michael Steele will use today's speech to try to close the book on his early poor performance as RNC chairman. AP Photo/Savannah Morning News, Richard Burkhart

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will call for an end to the "era of apologizing" in the GOP and urge his fellow party members to "focus all of our energies on winning the future" in a speech today to a gathering of RNC officials in Maryland.

Steele also will draw a contrast between the moderate policies President Obama ran on and the way he has governed, which, Steele will say, "could not possibly be further to the far left."

Steele's speech and an accompanying op-ed in Politico are meant to mark an end to a disastrous period for him personally and the party more generally. Elected in January, Steele has struggled through a series of self-inflicted wounds even as his pledge to make the party more competitive in the Northeast was dashed by New York state Assemblyman Joe Tedisco's narrow loss in the 20th district special election in late March.

Despite those setbacks (or perhaps because of them), Steele will insist that the future of the GOP lies not in looking back but in pushing forward -- using the tried and true example of conservative icon Ronald Reagan.

"Ronald Reagan never lived in the past," Steele will say. "Ronald Reagan was all about the future. If President Reagan were here today he would have no patience for Americans who looked backward."

The question for Steele is whether or not the RNC officials gathered to hear his speech are willing to give him a second chance to, um, make a first impression.

At the January vote in which Steele staged a come-from-behind victory to claim the RNC chairmanship, it was clear that there was genuine excitement in the room about the prospect of an African American from the strongly Democratic state of Maryland being elected as the visible face of the party.

That excitement has dissipated in the face of a series of misstatements by Steele, the loss in New York's 20th district and the general malaise that has continued to haunt the GOP in the wake of its electoral whitewash in 2008.

Steele, on paper, can still be the right man at the right time for the GOP. He is a charismatic public speaker and television presence whose career is evidence of the possibility of Republicans getting elected in blue states.

And, his call to "take this president on with class....take this president on with dignity" strikes the right tone for Republicans seeking to score political points off of Obama as hard partisan attacks seem to glance off of him without leaving a mark.

This is a major moment for the Republican party generally and for Steele in particular. Can he effectively hit the restart button on his chairmanship today?

What to Watch For:

Tuesday's Fix Picks: You can pick your nose and you can pick your friends but you can't pick your friend's nose. Truer words were never spoken.

Newt Joins National Council: Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) will join the National Council for a New America (NCNA), according to sources familiar with the move. The NCNA, the brainchild of House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), drew some initial criticism from social conservatives within the party due to its heavy membership among establishment types like former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. But, with Gingrich's addition -- and that of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin a few weeks ago -- those critics may be quieted somewhat. It still remains somewhat unclear as to what the NCNA will do to help the Republican Party re-establish itself as a major power in the country. To date, the sum total of its activities has been a single town hall meeting in northern Virginia.

Labor Takes on Wyden: A coalition of labor groups -- led by the National Education Association, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the United Food and Commercial Workers is funding a radio ad -- to the tune of $60,000 -- that attacks Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden for his support of taxing health care benefits. "The last thing we need is to pay more," says the ad's narrator. "But Senator Wyden would tax the health care benefits we get at work -- as if they were income." Wyden is the primary author of the Healthy Americans Act, a proposal from which elements of President Obama's own health care bill are likely to be borrowed. With this ad -- and a subsequent campaign of direct mail and telephone calls paid for by AFSCME -- organized labor is sending a clear signal to the White House (and to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus) that any attempt to include this funding mechanism in a health care bill will set off a fight.

Virginia Debate Today!: The Fix is sequestered in an undisclosed location (read: my basement) preparing for today's Virginia gubernatorial debate between former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, state Sen. Creigh Deeds and former state Del. Brian Moran. It's the last debate before the June 9 primary and yours truly, along with NewsChannel 8 anchor Bruce DuPuyt, will be moderating the proceedings. Not busy at 2 p.m. today? Head to Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale to watch the debate live OR check out the live feed on washingtonpost.com. (Sidenote: Posting will be somewhat light today due to our moderating responsibilities.)

Say What?: "From the day Hillary Clinton ended her historic bid for president, Terry worked tirelessly to unify our party around Barack Obama and get him elected president." -- Former South Dakota senator Tom Daschle affirms the Macker's strong support for President Obama.

I posted the following comment last December - apparently nothing has changed:

"If the hard right wants the GOP to remain the party of the come to jesus angry white man, well so be it. Liberals want you to do that as well!

This election the GOP became the party of the old, undereducated, rural angry white voter. This group is becoming a smaller and smaller percentage of the electorate. It became the party of the Southern core of the Confederacy and states like Wyoming where nobody lives. It lost in every major metropolitan area. It lost affluent diverse suburbs in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Raleigh, Fairfax and Northern Virginia, Alberquerque and Las Vegas, Miami and Tampa, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Indianapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Boston . It even lost Dallas and Houston.

It lost hispanic voters by 2 to l. It lost virtually 100% of the black vote. It lost the "youth" vote 2 to 1. The Democrats won every growing demographic.

There is no longer a GOP Representative in the House from all of New England, including those bastions of Republicanism, New Hampshire and Maine. There are only 3 GOP House members from New York and only one is urban. The increasing Hispanic vote will put Texas and Arizona in play in coming elections. Any party that starts with California, New York and Texas in its column is in a pretty strong position.

TV Cameras had a hard time finding a black face at the GOP convention. Bigots routinely talked to video cameras while in line and waiting outside.

The GOP needs to decide what it is FOR......calling the opposition names ain't gonna cut it as "policy". Being for "family" and "America" ain’t gonna cut it as policy. Calling the Dems "traitors" and marxists, rhetoric not heard in 50 years, revealed the dearth of GOP ideas.

Continuing to emphasize the culture wars will lead to a smaller, waiting for the rapture, lily-white regional Southern party.

Look at the faces of the new America........the demographics are against you." :-)

RNC Chairman Steele speaks what sounds like English but he's living in Wonderland, ("When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.")

- "[E]era of apologizing" - What has the GOP apologized for? I haven't heard any form of apology for anything they've done... ever.

- Obama, "could not possibly be further to the far left." Humpty rears his massive egg shaped head once again.

- "Ronald Reagan never lived in the past," but Steele and the rest of the GOP continues to live in a past where RWR still lives. Like the Hall of Presidents at Disneyland.... or is the HoP in Wonderland?

- "[T]ake this president on with class... take this president on with dignity." Like Liz Cheney calling President Obama unAmerican. That's "class", albeit of the Low variety.

The GOP's "era of apologizing" is over.
_______
Good, I'm no big fan of Steele but it's time for Republicans not to say they are sorry for doing what had to be done to keep this country safe for 7 1/2 years. Were mistakes made in Iraq yes but I don't remember Democrats saying they were sorry for mistakes they made in Vietnam. Democrats also didn't say they were sorry when LBJ made this a welfare state and for the race riots that burned down a good part of our cities. And I don't remember Dems saying sorry for Carter wrecking the economy, for gas lines and for weakening our military to a point our attempted rescue of our hostages in Iran failed horribly. Compared to what THEY did.. Republicans have nothing to say sorry for..

Posted by: sovine08

-It goes back further than Bush friend. I've yet to hear Republicans apologizing for supporting trickle down economics and rampant deregulation which brought our economy to its knees. These were things in place since the New Deal and they kept us (the middle class) prosperous for decades without falter. Once Reagan came in all bets were off and now look at us. The apology needs to be made for false economic theory and a disingenuous world view at best. Let's not forget that the same complaints you always accuse "libs" off were in mass practice all throughout the last 30 years. Support for the Taliban, Contras, Iran etc. But appeasement is the title you assign to any Democrat policy. It's a joke and finally after being able to put your policies in place America has snapped to attention and won't be eating the slop you've placed on their plate.

You all need a new platform to succeed; not a tighter message. The message has been rejected.

"Ronald Reagan never lived in the past," Steele will say. "Ronald Reagan was all about the future. If President Reagan were here today he would have no patience for Americans who looked backward."

Ronald Reagan lived in a Hollywood fantasy of jelly beans and "Watch what we do, not what we say." His economic plan was pure Voodoo, his defense plan was to try to match the USSR's attempt, eminently successful, to bankrupt itself by trying to match the U. S. dollar for dollar in military spending, where the U. S. would spend as much, as a percent of our GNP as Russia was spending as a percent of THEIR GNP. His domestic program was to do away with the safety net of Social Security while claiming to retain a safety net of God knows what. (Think about that phrase) His Foreign Policy was straight out of John Wayne movies, a fact Rich Little warned us about when Ronnie first began talking about running for president. "Wahl, the first thing you do is you get the wagons in a circle."

The only administration in our history that has been further out in make believe land was Shrub's and it regularly claimed the mantle of Reaganomics, Reagan Diplomacy, and Reagan Defense.

So if Mr. Steele wants to run on Ronnie's vision of the future, let him.

The only apologizing I've heard coming from the GOP is to Limbaugh, as one GOP "leader" after another grovels to a radio clown for offending him. They certainly haven't apologized to us for all the damage that GOP administrations have done to our national honor, or to our economy, or to our pride.

They haven't apologized for trying to put Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency, a grotesque act of irresponsibility.

They haven't apologized for getting us into two pointless wars, for stirring up the hornet's nest that is the Middle East, for delaying action on global warming, or for years of irresponsible and just plain nutty experiments with our national economy.

Steele's selection was a cynical pick for Republicans. Steele had none of the background that normally goes into a national chairman. The only state-wide office he held was due to being on the bottom of the ticket. He and his senior partner lasted just one term. Some people apparently thought that as long as there was an African American president from the Democrats there should be an African-American in a leadership position for the Republicans.

His inexperience shows in the many gafs he has made in public. But the GOP is in a predicament. If they vote him out in favor of a leader more reliably in the far right mode (and with better leadership savvy)they will appear to be rejecting black Republicans, a small group to be sure, but there are a few.

He's surely trying to appeal to the right wingers by describing the Obama administration as far left extremists. (I guess that's why the left wing of the Democrats is already getting disillusioned with Obama).

The GOP is floundering. I expect that they will come out of their dilemma sometime. But so far it appears it will be later than sooner.

I forget the name of the document and the R strategist who created it in the 90s, but it was a white paper guiding Rs on what language to use when referring to the Dems and Dem policies, and what to use when referring to the Rs. One of the pointers was to use the term "DemocRAT" (with that emphasis) party, rather than the "Democratic" party.

I just watched Steele, the pathetic apologist for Republican greed, incompetence and unprovoked war. Absolutely bushing repulsive.
A decade, two or three ago, the "angry black man" symbolized African-Americans understandably disgusted that our country seemed satisfied to relegate blacks and others who, through discrimination, were denied American affluence and equal treatment of all kinds, to permanent poverty and a substandard quality of American life.
Vooot! Time travel to Michael Steele, an angry black man who is bushed off at President Obama, our first black president and the best one we've had in decades.
I heard Michael Steele vow to speak truth to power. He meant speak truth to Obama, but we elected Obama to wrest back power to the disposessed in a way no president has for decades. And Steele's treasured Republican Party, led by the unindicted war criminals George W. Bush and the Dick Cheney, spent eight years widening the gap between the obscenely wealthy and the poor, including, but not limited to, Michael Steele's fellow
African-Americans.
There's a term for pathetic sell-outs like Steele, and it begins with the relation who is my father's brother and ends with Tom.

"The decline in Republican Party affiliation among Americans in recent years is well documented, but a Gallup analysis now shows that this movement away from the GOP has occurred among nearly every major demographic subgroup. Since the first year of George W. Bush’s presidency in 2001, the Republican Party has maintained its support only among frequent churchgoers, with conservatives and senior citizens showing minimal decline."

Even old people are leaving the party. And 'frequent churchgoers' are declining in the US as well, soooo---

"Michael Steele is on my tv and is telling me that Republicans are done apologizing and that now they are done being nice and that the honeymoon is over and they are going to go after Obama, which makes me wonder what exactly have they been doing for the past two years? Playing footsie? It has been nothing but vicious smears and insanity since he has been on the national scene.

This new Republican approach of attacking the opposition should be entertaining.

Also, he has used the phrase “We are going to speak truth to power” twice in front of the RNC. Does he have any idea where he is?

And is no one in the Republican party capable of giving a speech?

And can none of these immature pricks say “DEMOCRATIC?” What is wrong with these people? Are they all twelve?

*** Update ***

Oh for chrissakes. This is so absurd I fully expect him to paint his face blue and go the full Braveheart. Did you wingnuts find some numbers to put in your budget yet?"

"era of apologizing" ??? I don't recall the republicans ever apologizing for anything.

Did I miss the apology for the unnecessary war?
Did I miss the apology for touturing?
destroying the economy?
unregulated investing?
wasted millions on abstinance programs?
a trillion dollars to the wealthy?
justice department jobs to 'true believers'?

I'd almost settle for an apology on any ONE of the above items, but a "era of apologizing". How about apology for not arrogance or ignorance?
Or maybe an apology for not knowing that "era of apologizing", implies that they actually apologized for something, and they arrogantly have never apologized for anything?

"Michael Steele, the chose token in an attempt to overcome the mass movement of women, minorities and young supporting President Obama and the democrats. Whatever."

Whatever. I despise the Republicans and I'm not a big Steele fan, but I am sick of seeing him referred to as a token black guy. He's a good speaker and probably has a sense of the Republican party's problems more than anyone else in that circus. He won 45% of the vote in the 2006 Maryland Senate election. It's pretty impressive for a Republican to do that in a state like Maryland.

How does this guy exist? He makes the room more exciting by leaving it! Continue to talk about core principles... your core principles got us into this mess...so keeping talking them up....lower taxes...less services...less infrastructure during an economic down turn....buy into the wilderness because you will be there for a very long time!!!

To begin with, Steele forgot to mention that Buckley's son (Junior) rejected his father right-wing inclinations and voted for Obama, indicating that the extreme right (Trash Limbaugh's) has taken over.
Secondly, Steele also forgot to mention that during Raegan's presidency we had the firs big home meltdown, and the savings and loans scandals flourished (remember Keating?).
Finally, I didn't hear one new idea. Do they even have one?

king of zouk: You are really, really pathetic, and a disgrace to true, principled conservatism.
Do you realize at all just how stupid you sound?
Come on, man up -- actually offer an intelligent argument as to why you agree or disagree with the blog.
Otherwise, you're wasting everyone's time here.
Grow up, please. You're a fool.
And speaking of meds, sir, maybe YOU need to reduce your daily amount.

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but given the GOP has apologized for *nothing* over the last 10 years or so, where does Steele get off insisting "the era of apologizing" is over?
The Demos have their problems, for sure, but if Steele really thinks this "get tough" stance is going to ressurrect his party, he's even more lost than I thought.
And that's a shame -- there needs to be a civil, reasonable and principled opposition party, but today's GOP isn't that party.
And our democracy suffers for it.

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but given the GOP has apologized for *nothing* over the last 10 years or so, where does Steele get off insisting "the era of apologizing" is over?
The Demos have their problems, for sure, but if Steele really thinks this "get tough" stance is going to ressurrect his party, he's even more lost than I thought.
And that's a shame -- there needs to be a civil, reasonable and principled opposition party, but today's GOP isn't that party.
And our democracy suffers for it.

"I see several Libs missed their meds today. If only you could get Obama to force the "rich" to pay for all your drugs, maybe your delusional world would fade into that black hole you call morals."

Posted by: king_of_zouk | May 19, 2009 12:24 PM

RE: meds, money, and morals:

So you telling us "oxycontin" Rush Limbaugh is better than us libs because he could afford to send his immigrant maid out into the streets to cop his drugs for him? Thanks for clearing that up.

Speaking of "Oxy Rushbo", every one of your comments so far are right out of his "liberal bashers handbook". Try formulating an original thought for a change.

Better yet, turn off the talk radio and the Fox junk, put down the Moonie rag masquerading as a newspaper, and READ something SENSIBLE. Perhaps then, you'll no longer be conned into voting against your own best interests.

I might be a little late here, but I just have to comment on this story.

GOP Chairman Michael Steele explained in a recent speech how his party should "recast" the gay marriage issue as not just a social issue, but a business issue:

"Now all of a sudden I've got someone who wasn't a spouse before, that I had no responsibility for, who is now getting claimed as a spouse that I now have financial responsibility for," Steele told Republicans at the state convention in traditionally conservative Georgia. "So how do I pay for that? Who pays for that? You just cost me money."

It's almost unfair to comment on this because it's so hard to figure out what Steele even means here. I guess he's saying that if a small-business owner has gay employees who suddenly are able to get married, that owner will have to pay higher benefit costs, such as higher health-care premiums to insure the spouse.

The GOP should sincerely hope that Steele did not think out this argument before saying it. Because if this is actually what he meant to argue, the party's leadership is in bigger trouble than has been thought.

The argument basically is "more marriages are bad for small businesses." In no way does it single
out gay marriage--if a straight employee decided to settle down, the employer would face the same increased costs.

Does Steele really want to argue that marriages for small-business employees (and small businesses are the largest type of employer in the country) should be discouraged? That doesn't sound like the stance the Republican Party---the same party that bemoans the horrors of single motherhood and the death of the family--wants to be taking."

When Republicans call their own RNC leader a "token" I think they've decided to take the low road. Why does Steele put up with this? Dems had a much easier time embracing Obama because, well, he's just so cool.

Which is fine by me. I thing the GOP is doing a great job of reminding me of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and Donald "Aspartame Brain Disease" Rumsfeld.

Heckuva job, GOP!

They won't say so in public, but even conservative Americans know that if you hate government too much, you no longer have governance.

The GOP's "era of apologizing" is over.
_______
Good, I'm no big fan of Steele but it's time for Republicans not to say they are sorry for doing what had to be done to keep this country safe for 7 1/2 years. Were mistakes made in Iraq yes but I don't remember Democrats saying they were sorry for mistakes they made in Vietnam. Democrats also didn't say they were sorry when LBJ made this a welfare state and for the race riots that burned down a good part of our cities. And I don't remember Dems saying sorry for Carter wrecking the economy, for gas lines and for weakening our military to a point our attempted rescue of our hostages in Iran failed horribly. Compared to what THEY did.. Republicans have nothing to say sorry for..

what plantet is michael steele on i will give it to him he believe what he's sayin he just ain't sayin nothin he in the grand ole party by his self if this wasn't a serious thing i would laugh he just a mouth piece that was another one of his bull Pres. Obama got this mess from gw. bush, it like here he goes again[steele] the shoe shine monkey and i'm a person of color.

Michael Steele, the chose token in an attempt to overcome the mass movement of women, minorities and young supporting President Obama and the democrats. Whatever.

Steele is like many tokens when you look at the leading government agencies and high powered organizations and businesses in this nation. There is always one or two pictured with the leaders of these organizations, usually heading up equal employment, diversity, logistics, community relations, general counsel. In other words supporting roles in the organizations not the leading roles of the organizations. No minority is falling for this side show. Until the republican party starts acting like an inclusive party that can express its values without attacking people and calling them unpatriotic, they will continue to falter.

These threads are becoming (or remaining) disgustingly juvenile!!! Can't you all be CIVIL? Can't you make PERTINENT and INTELLIGENT comments?

For Conservatives, remember the exquisite way in which the late William F. Buckley use INTELLIGENCE to present his case. For Progressives, there are any number of high-minded examples of people who didn't need to stoop to infantile, schoolyard name-calling to make their point.

king_of_zouk posted @May 19, 2009 12:02 PM
"...it will almost certainly be easier for them to take than to have to admit that George Bush had been right on those issues all along..."

Excuse me!!! right on what issues???

Iraq had WMD?
Invading Iraq would bring peace to the Middle East?
Fewer regulations would be good for the economy?
Trickle down works???
Serving 3-4 tours would be character building for the troops?
A functioning VA wasn't really necessary for returning soldiers?

My goodness. I wish redemption were that easy and quick. If it were, Charles Manson would be running for mayor of LA, Barry Bonds would be hitting cleanup for the Yankees and Rod Blogojevic would be up for re-election.

You don't run a first rate country into the ground in every way possible in a short span of years and then ask the public to forgive and forget in a fortnight. Not without expecting a lot of laughs. Maybe this was a joke?

The Democrats are approaching their climax. Look for Republicans to take back over around 2012. Steele is a good dude, though I don't agree with him on some things, I am starting to disagree with Obama on many things.

The King of Fools is here again. His laughable incoherent rants vividly display why the R party is sinking like a rock and shrinking like the glaciers, soon to be vanished from the earth.

Posted by: drivl

What passes for analysis and intelligence in Lib circles. No wonder Peloony and Reid are running things. blind leading the blind, or more aptly, fools leading fools. consider the head of the Senate declared the war lost, a few months before we won. consider the head of the intelligence committee declared that her oversight was lacking or that we are all liars or both. head of ways and means can't figure out his taxes. Head of the Treasury cheats on his. Lib leadership is easily explained by the dimwits who follow.

I am with ZANDER every single word of it! Saved me thinking up the rants... just repeat to yourself every single time you go to the polls folks!
They are War Criminals...and they deserve JAIL TERMS! Traitors to our country, they have made us the absolute LAUGHING STOCK of the entire world.
All because Darth Cheney was cringing in his bunker and afraid.

I see several Libs missed their meds today. If only you could get Obama to force the "rich" to pay for all your drugs, maybe your delusional world would fade into that black hole you call morals.

Only one problem, as soon as all you Libs are cured with my money and Obambi's meddling, you will wake up and vote the fool out. then you will go back off your meds and vote D again. and hence the explanation for the use of a Lib every 16 years or so for one term.

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." -- Benjamin Spock: It's great to have a healthy self-image, but there's not much to be said for thinking you're smarter than the collective wisdom and traditions passed down through human history just because you happen to read the Daily Kos. Unbecoming arrogance of this sort permeates modern liberalism. The most grave of decisions are undertaken by the modern Left without the slightest regard for the potential consequences. Past disasters created by similar bouts of whimsical thinking, of which there are many, are treated as acts of God untethered from mere human decision making and prompt no self reflection whatsoever. That's because to the modern liberal, the real world results of their policies are secondary in importance to the amount of positive self-esteem generated by supporting that policy.

Is Obama changing his positions as he better understands the reality of the terrorist threat we face? Is he now seeing information that only President Bush and those in his administration with security clearance had seen? Or is he simply shifting with the winds of public opinion?

If he is just playing politics and responding to polls, the danger is that he could always shift those positions again if public opinion changes. Jim Geraghty, reacting to so many abrupt changes since the election, said President Obama’s policies all come with an expiration date. Maybe the shift on national security and on domestic issues is all about responding to the political climate.

What is really interesting to consider though, is an unintended by-product of the possibility that Obama is doing as Tommy Franks suggested he might and is changing his mind as he better comes to know the military and the facts. As Obama came to side with Dick Cheney last week on the release of those photos, and as he changed other positions to side with Bush policy, one conclusion that could be drawn is that reality was as Bush expressed it.

Posted by: king_of_zouk

-Holy crap I agree with Dick Cheney and Zouk. He never should have promised to distribute those photos before looking at them. That was a bone headed move no doubt, but the fact is though that these things still happened during the Bush years and *GASP* made us less safe. So Zouk can make light of war, but there's no way to twist the fact that torture is wrong. We don't need to rile up the rest of the world with our documented decent into madness. I only hope Obama shares the photos with one group: THE HAGUE.

This might seem a logical and not terribly surprising explanation for most people, but for those who have invested the past eight years into hatred of George W. Bush, it could be too much to take. They might have to accept that their “Bush lied” mantra was a lie.

For those who attributed every ill in the world to Bush, and who interpreted his every motivation as sinister, this is reality altering.

If those on the angry Left can attribute Obama’s changes in policy to responses to shifting public opinion, it will almost certainly be easier for them to take than to have to admit that George Bush had been right on those issues all along.

He can reset himself, but he can't reset the base. Independents and moderates will continue to flee the scorched earth campaign that the fundamentalist wing is utilizing to complete their control of the party. Steele is a dead man walking unless they can drop the dead weight maniacs in the party.

Is Obama changing his positions as he better understands the reality of the terrorist threat we face? Is he now seeing information that only President Bush and those in his administration with security clearance had seen? Or is he simply shifting with the winds of public opinion?

If he is just playing politics and responding to polls, the danger is that he could always shift those positions again if public opinion changes. Jim Geraghty, reacting to so many abrupt changes since the election, said President Obama’s policies all come with an expiration date. Maybe the shift on national security and on domestic issues is all about responding to the political climate.

What is really interesting to consider though, is an unintended by-product of the possibility that Obama is doing as Tommy Franks suggested he might and is changing his mind as he better comes to know the military and the facts. As Obama came to side with Dick Cheney last week on the release of those photos, and as he changed other positions to side with Bush policy, one conclusion that could be drawn is that reality was as Bush expressed it.

' Republican National Committee chairman to call for an end to "era of apologizing." '

You gotta love the GOP.
For the first time in their wretched lives, they have been caught out actively wrecking the country in the name of personal greed, and during their first encounter with their headmaster, the American public, who demand an apology and some sort of atonement, they start talking about an "era of apologizing".

And in his closing remarks Steele brachiated from the overhead flourescents, singing "I've a lovely bunch of coconuts" in a piercing falsetto. A woman in a bikini popped out of a cake, and a string of firecrackers went off, prompting a group of Second Amendment junkies to go berserk at what they claimed they believed was gunfire, killing several dozen of their own members.

When did the GOP apologize about anything? When have they uttered a single sentence without one or more lies in it? When have they stopped denying global warming, stopped claiming that cutting taxes increases revenue, stopped claiming Bush kept us safe, stopped claiming Iraq was a good idea?

The Republican Party is an absolute joke right now. They're basically consumed with hero worship for Reagan, despite the fact that his ideas had limited applicability even 30 years ago. The quote about Reagan never living in the past basically sums it up.

Anyone who looks to Ronald Reagan for the future is looking into the past. Reagan looked to the future? Anyone who believes that is in la-la-land (Reagan's home town). Remember Bedtime for Bonzo? Reagan was a throwback, to...Grover Cleveland? OK, maybe not that far, but surely he's the resurrection of those three "Happy Days" guys who roared us through the laissez-faire, regulation-free '20s and smack into the Great Depression.

The Republican Party -- Steele or non-Steele -- is all about the past. Think about it: The Depression...Joe McCarthy's Red Scare demagoguery...Watergate...Iran-Contra...WMD-scam and preemptive wars...Katrina...the second coming of the Great Depression: all gifts brought to us by the Grand Old Party. Why do you think they call it "Old"? Because it's all about the long, long ago.

I'll say it one more time: The single biggest problem the GOP has is with the nature of its base. The GOP base is about 60% of the GOP but is only 30% of the general electorate.

The GOP base is obsessed with principle. Politics is not about principle. It is all about governing. To govern a complex society with so many competing demands for services and policies, compromise is not only necessary, it is essential. Conservatives failed at governing because they were dominated by this doctrinaire band of zealots who simply do not understand politics and the nature of government.

You cannot govern if you do not believe in government in the first place. I suppose what I am saying here is that there is no room in politics and government for people who are motivated by ideological principles so rigidly that they cannot master the simple art of compromise.

GOP strategists need to dispense with the study of Edmund Burke and Ayn Rand and devote themselves to Darwin's work instead. Survival in politics is no different than survival in nature. It is just as brutal and absolute in its weeding out of the least fit.

The GOP is now in the steeps of an environment so changed that--like its biological counterparts in nature, it must adapt in order to survive. They will either adapt to the changed social, political--and electoral--environment, or they will like the proverbial Dodo they so resemble--perish.

What a joke. no longer the party of apologize. Instead, they are screeching for Pelosi to apologize and to offer evidence. So apparently, SHE is automatically guilty of lying, no proof, no evidence, just he said, she said. David Gergen said it best, she is a very very tough person, or she wouldn't be where she is. She wanted a truth commision, the Prez didn't, now she'll get one, clever, clever lady. Cause if the Republicans want evidence, that's a really big can, and most of it the GOP will probably regret coming to light. And the hesitant, and stuttering presser she had recently- perfect! If she had come out then with evidence, the outrage would have died. Well done Madam Speaker! You will achieve getting a truth commision and the GOP is helping you, unbeknowst to them!

The problem with this poor fellow is that he was dealt a bad hand, and he can’t even bluff with the political and economic cards the Texas Moron and his cronies handed him.
On top of that, he has the “help” of the radio psychopath and Bill O’Dummy. He should have listened to the old tune: you gotta know when to hold and when to fold.
Even little Miss Piggy from Alaska is keeping her trap shut.

Chris, I should have made more clear that the 30% figure I quoted was against the total American electorate. The problem for the republicans is that the 30% block of voters in the electorate who identify themselves as hard conservative, are somewhere on the order of 60% of the GOP. That is the problem. The GOP is in desperate need of a more moderate, centrist conservative that has a more pleasant visage than say, Rush Limbaugh or Newt Gingrich.

Well, perhaps this ridiculous tripe Mr. Steele is spewing is part of his master plan. After GOP party chairman, he might be prepping for a new career, standup comedian. He CANNOT be serious with this "Reagan as futurist" nonsense...its gotta be sarcasm!

Michael Steele is emblematic of the general problem the GOP has--namely, its base. The 30% of republicans who classify themselves as hard right conservatives--the very sort who hang on to the every utterance of the Great Hog Rush Limbaugh as gospel truth--are so dogged in their absolute demands for ideological purity that they are willing to stay in the wilderness of minority political status. They would rather lose than compromise one iota on their so-called "principles".

It never occurs to that 30% that they could be completely wrong--that Americans really don't want limited government, are willing to pay higher taxes if it gets them decent, affordable health care and a pension that can be counted on, clean. safe air and water and the assurance that their roads, highways , bridges, dams and railways are kept in a safe and working order. And maybe the conservatives are wrong about how to more effectively manage the economy as well. Maybe Americans are willing to put up with more regulation in both the economy and in their social lives if it means their families can have a safe, long term, well ordered future.

As far as I can see, the so-calle "principles" the conservatives are so dedicated to are so generalized, so oversimplified, and so amenable to political sloganeering, that Americans no longer believe in them because they offer no specific policy plans other than generic promises to cut taxes (for whom they won't say), cut spending (on programs they will not specify) and maximize freedom (which they will not define).

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will call for an end to the "era of apologizing" in the GOP and urge his fellow party members to "focus all of our energies on winning the future...

For what did the GOP ever apologize??? Anyone tell me what the GOP apologized for? Ever??? Really? We begged the bush "administration" to take responsibility for its mess, and it refused. Not a single repubican has EVER apologized for ANYTHING. Give me a break!

Considering that prosecutions have yet to begin, The GOP hasn't even begun to apologize. The fact that not a single GOP politician shows even the slightest contrition for what they allowed and enabled Bush to do to our country indicates that they are not fit for any position in government or society. Now they're even writing stupid poems to defend the CIA's lying when everyone with even half a brain knows it to be a verifiable fact: no WMDs, no Iraq/al-Queda link, etc. The GOP itself is a clear and present danger to national security and they should all be arrested pending prosecutioin for attempting to subvert and overthrow the Constitution of the United States and wage an aggressive, crusader war against Iraq and the Islamic religion.

Republicans just need to start living in the reality of today and not some fantasy vision for the future that can't possible thrive in the U.S.today--feudalism. They harp on Regan, but his form of economics help set up the foundation for the economic chaos we have today. Moreover he had alzheimers, was a racist and a biggot by virtue of his religion. And as far as Steele goes, it's going to take more than words to change the reasoning at the heart of his base. So his future will probably be short lived. Afterall, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and talks like a duck...oh wait, two out of three ain't bad.

Democrats always act like they were tied in the basement and gagged for eight years.. get real.. also the notion that the Clinton era was one of great hope and progress.. my memory is different. I'm not a Republican either, but a life long Democrat.

Steele say the way Obama has governed "could not possibly be further to the far left." Keep it up Steele, I'm no big fan of the Dems, but I love seeing the Repubs keep digging their hole deeper with such silly intemperate nonsense. Haven't they noticed how upset Obama's more liberal supporters are with many things he is doing?

The Republicans created their own mess, the party of NO. The old ideology has to be changed, if not why exist as a political party if you really have no say in Washington. I can't imagine the GOP apologizing, it's not in their vocabulary

1) The Republicans can't find the 'right' issue through which they will relaunch themselves.

2) Some in the right are looking to abortion, but good luck on that one. Most Americans dont' want a bar of that issue. Regardless of which side they're on, they see it as a loser.

3) While some have tried to paint Obama as further left than Lenin, his moves on military commissions, Afghanistan, and release of detainee photos clearly moderate that view.

4) Republicans are hostage to their invented history. They claim that they are the party of small government, pro-business, and socially conservative. That is really only true in the recent past, as in post 2000. Even Reagan wasn't these things, look at his budgets. They have invented a mantra and believe their own rhetoric. Yet, neither Nixon nor Eisenhower were social conservatives, neither beholden to a religious right, neither were small government advocates (at least not in their spending), but they were pro-business. (I hate that term. I can't think of any US politician who is anti-business. Some are just more pro-"other than business" than other politicians.)

I don't envy the Republican leadership. They have a tough job in front of them, with a followership that is divided, often misguided and too pugnacious for their own good.

It seems that "professional" Rs do not remember the qualities of RWR that allowed him to rise above the ordinary. After a first term marked by ideological purity and notable failures [Lebanon and the tripling of the National Debt come to mind rather easily], he moved from "evil empre" to "trust but verify" and listened to Schulz on foreign policy
and he dealt across the aisle with the Ds on actually raising taxes as a deficit cutting device.

His popularity was never in question and he did not have to drop ideological purity to remain popular. Yet, he actually abandoned his most strident positions and worked at the [right] center to govern in his second term, as he learned what really worked. That was because RWR actually did care more for the nation than for many of his deeply held beliefs, which had not been applicable, in practice.

When I see this Prez reverse to not publishing evidence that was used to sanction or convict detainee interrogators I see that same ability to adopt reality based policies in the face of a conviction when that ideal could cause harm if applied to the particular matter.
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RWR's first term rigidity is the model that party leaders seem to adore - only McC among current Rs has given him his due as one who learned to be pragmatic. You may recall that this Prez did the same.

@VTDuffman: agreed -- the Steele quote is a layer cake of irony - the recession may have diminished our financial holdings, but we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to hilarious irony. It truly is getting harder and harder to make things up when we have people in leadership positions such as Mr. Steele making comments such as this.

By it's very nature, the GOP will always be the Party of the past. To be conservative is to conserve the way things are now and have always been. It requires resisting change.

Steele lost re-election and lost a US Senate race. He was only chosen because of the color of his skin, and like everything else about him, it doesn't match with 99% of his Party. Remember, the GOP fought the Civil Rights Act, because they wanted to conserve America.

Steele "tries to turn the page" you say? Can he even read? He should apologize for afflicting the public with his stupidity. He is always good for a laugh, though. Keep it up Mikey. We're all going to miss you when you're gone.

Others have said it, but I have to repeat them... WHAT HAVE THE REPUBLICANS APOLOGIZED FOR?
1) Allowing Bush, Cheney, Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, McConnel, Lindsey Graham, Mike Pence, et al to run rampant over the country for 8 years.
2) Allowing idiots like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, etc... to speak for them ?
3) I have plenty more, but for now the above are enough.
I have heard no apologizes for any of the above and THAT is the problem. You have to want to change to start to change. The people above do not want to change and therefore the Republicn party will continue to falter as long as those people are setting the direction and the tone of the Republicans. Bank on it!

"Era of apologizing" -- must have slept through that one -- was it overnight last night or the night before?

"Democrat Socialist Party" -- maybe it's a trap -- the GOP is hoping that the Democrats will respond with "I'm rubber and you're glue..." and then they'll get on a fight in the schoolyard and the principal will blame the Dems for it even though they didn't start it and -- oh, we're not in 4th grade anymore?

Actually, unfortunately, the resolution is merely yet one more example of how Repubs want to control everything -- other countries' politics, women's bodies, other people's names -- word is that there was a big internal fight about whether rename Bo "Fidel" or "Che"... (guess I should say I made that last one up -- it's gotten that bad, hasn't it?)

VtDuffman, Nope, I also choked when I read that "Reagan as futurist" barf. The GOP is a stumbling, burned out drunk of a party right now. Its almost painful to watch them self-destruct further. Oh well, bring the pain!

" It still remains somewhat unclear as to what the NCNA will do to help the Republican Party re-establish itself as a major power in the country. To date, the sum total of its activities has been a single town hall meeting in northern Virginia."

Exactly. They aren't interested in listening to americans, they want instead to lecture and harangue us about how we aren't sufficiently 'conservative.' And we aren't interested in listening to them, either.

Steele has failed at everything he's tried in life. His only redeeming value is he's a republican African American, Oh....abuse....abuse...report abuse. It's the truth, so deal with it - or not. Don't matter to me since I hope republicans go extinct altogether.

Apology? Which apology was that? I don't remember hearing any apology from republicans. What i remember is the usual incoherent whining, ranting and shrieking. That IS the republican brand. Delusion, revisionism and pure fantasy. Everything that they are saying and doing is pulling them further right and away from the American mainstream. Each day they become uglier, more hateful. repulsive, and unrecognizable as Americans, and more like third-world fascists.

I really hope the attempt to brand the Democratic Party as the "Democrat Socialist Party" gets enough votes to pass. It's a perfect illustration of the juvenile mentality of many in the GOP, and will help to further marginalize the party.

Republicans haven't begun to apologize for the damage that they have caused. Never in the history of this nation has a party been so soundly repudiated as the Republicans were in 2006 and 2008, and yet been so adamant in their refusal to accept the will of the voters. To hear Republicans, they lost 15 Senate seats, 50+ House seats and the White House because Obama cheated and because McCain ran a bad campaign.

Republicans not only refuse to apologize, they refuse to acknowledge that Bush did anything wrong. Two failing wars, a massive deficit, a devastating financial collapse and the deepest recession in 80 years and Republicans think they did a bang up job and voters are ingrates.

Steele represents the sort of tokenism that Republicans rail against on Affirmative Action. He ran a dishonest 2006 Senate race that relied on lies and yet he underperformed Republican turnout against a pasty, boring Democratic candidate. He is clearly not very bright and Republicans have no respect for him. They are afraid to dump him because they think his skin color hides their racist tendencies, and their next Chair will be another old white male from the South.

cnn.com is quoting Michael Steele as saying, "Those of you who actually attend Lincoln Day dinners, county party events, and tea parties…those of you who toil in the vineyards, spending time in communities, in diners, barber shops, and coffee shops where real every day people can be found…you know it is real," Steele will say, according to the excerpts."

Can someone please tell me who these "real Americans" are? I get so sick and tired of hearing that phrase, it makes me want to scream. Here in lies the problem with republican thinking. It seems that anyone who thinks differently than them is "not a real American." Baloney. It's that "with me or against me" mentality that has gotten the republican party to this point in their meager existence.

Stop looking at people who have a contrary opinion as being somehow "unAmerican" and you will then find that "real American's" don't think like you and that's the reason they no longer want to vote for you!

Era of apologizing? I must have slept through this era. Or is he referring to Republicans (including himself) apologizing to Rush Limbaugh? What I've heard since the 2008 election is not apologizing, but just more of the Republican blame game, this time at other Republicans, not just Democrats. The circular firing squad. They're good at blame, not at taking responsibility. And apologizing? Funny.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. Steele does seem caught in this tug of war between the extremists of the party and the sensible move to moderation. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a moderate equivalent of Rush Limbaugh. Steele has the right idea as to where the party should be going. This is exactly what the Democrats did. They moved towards the center and the victories followed. There are tradeoffs, though. You won't see these Democrats impose strict gun control. You won't see a Federal movement to legalize gay marriage. That's how politics works. Perhaps Republicans are still a little power drunk from the Bush heyday when no compromise was necessary. They'll need to learn some lessons, though.

Steele himself needs to find himself some allies in order for his agenda to have any chance of working. Even modest goals such as rebranding seem to be stymied immediately. As someone who supports the Democratic agenda, I find all this to be good. Obama doesn't seem to be as willing to overreach as Bush was and most Americans will certainly find themselves better off than they were four years ago.

Let's see what Steele can do. If he is the only voice of moderation, then Republicans are in trouble. Even in 2012, they look like they may lose Senate seats.